Flight
by Moon Jackal
Summary: Touko has been defeated, and Unova's people have been forced to release their Pokemon. Powerless and struggling with her conflicting emotions between her love for N and her hatred of what he has done, Touko remains confined in Team Plasma's castle, only to reveal the darker side of what happens within. Warnings inside. I do not own any characters. Ferriswheelshipping.
1. Chapter 1

So this is my very first Poke-fic, and I'm really excited about it. By the way, I'm a huge fan of N's, so... don't expect a darker side to him too much. I'd really love any reviews, and you can expect a darker theme later on in the story. With that, please enjoy the first chapter!

~Moon Jackal

**Warnings: Will contain violence, swearing, and rape.**

* * *

"Please! Please don't..."

Touko's broken sobs permeated the throne room. N's stormy grey eyes looked down on her in anguish as she clutched his shirt so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. The king whirled around to glare at Ghetsis, the Sage smirking at Touko's battered visage.

"What you said... did you mean it?" the king asked his father quietly, his own tremulous heart pounding as he awaited an answer.

"I don't talk just to hear my own voice, boy," Ghetsis sneered. "You were only ever a disappointment. But now, you're the King of Unova. I know what you feel for the girl, and I can assure you... if your job is done incorrectly, she will be disposed of."

* * *

_Two hours earlier_

* * *

"Reshiram! Use Dragon Pulse!" N shouted, panting as Touko's Zekrom let out an ear-splitting screech and countered with Fusion Bolt.

The two legendaries circled each other in the air; both Touko and N had only those two left to fight. The two trainers were both breathing harshly, several cuts marring their skin and sweat dripping down their foreheads.

"Let's end this, N," Touko called out, but he could see in her eyes the wavering resolve to fight him.

A similar feeling took over his own heart as he replied, "Bring it."

"Reshiram!"

"Zekrom!"

"Fusion Flare!"

"Fusion Bolt!"

The dragons' tails lit up with overpowering energy, each of them putting in the last dredges of their strength to finish the other. As the two attacks collided, fire intertwining with electricity, a huge explosion rocked the chamber and knocked Touko and N back.

Touko gave a small cry as she was hurled along the marble floor, skidding harshly along the tiles until her back felt burned from the friction. N gasped as he flew through the air, landing heavily on the steps leading to his throne. Both of them stared at the center of the room, blearily eyed, hoping to see their own chosen dragon standing victorious over the other.

As the smoke cleared, a huge shadow appeared through the dust, and N and Touko crawled closer, trying to catch a glimpse of either white or black.

N reacted first, letting out a small groan as he spied Reshiram lying unconscious on the once-unsullied tiles. He slowly made his way over to his fallen friend, placing a gently hand on the dragon's fur and whispering, "Well-fought, my friend," before returning him to his ball.

Touko, on the other hand, stared with a dropped jaw and eyes swimming with happy tears at her Zekrom, who gave a deep rumble and turned to face her, a small smile etched on his maw. "Zekrom, thank you..." she exclaimed, wrapping her thin arms around his leg, which was as much as she could get. The dragon gave a snort before he began to fall, but just before he hit the ground, Touko returned him to his ball as well.

The brunette glanced over to where N had sunk, his cap shading the expression on his face. "N..." she began.

He held up his hand, and said so quietly that she had to lean in closer to hear him, "Everything ruined. The truths I held... The dreams Pokemon shared..." He gave a deep sigh and finally looked up, directing his gaze at the crumbling ceiling. "Your feelings were stronger than mine, it seems."

At that moment, Ghetsis barged in. He stood for a moment as N and Touko turned their shocked faces toward him, and then understood as he saw the agony of defeat upon his son's face. "You good-for-nothing boy!" he shouted, "After saying you had to put your beliefs on the line and battle to see which one chosen by the legendary Pokemon was the true hero... You lost to an ordinary Trainer! There is such a thing as being too stupid! Add it up, and you are nothing more than a warped, defective boy who knows nothing but Pokemon. And you!" he turned to face Touko, who's face had reddened with rage at Ghetsis' treatment of N. "Now you'll face ME in battle! I can't wait to see the look on your face when you've lost all hope!"

"Stop it, Father!" N cried, although his heart pounded as his mind furiously tried to take in what Ghetsis had just said to him. "Her Pokemon can't fight anymore-"

"Then I've already won, haven't I?" Ghetsis sneered. "And you are no son of mine, you worthless brat. After everything I gave you... you're still pathetic."

N stood, a cold fury forming on his face that Touko had never seen before. "You will not bring any more harm to her," he declared, although with his battered body, he could hardly be less threatening.

Apparently deciding the same, Ghetsis strode right up to N and backhanded him, sending the teen crashing to the ground. "Hey!" Touko yelled, running forward to help him. She knelt by his side, gently touching his cheek as a prominent red mark shone on his skin. "What kind of father are you?"

"You're decades from being able to lecture me, girl," Ghetsis snarled, his crimson eyes merciless as he stared down at her. She raised her chin defiantly, but then looked down as N touched her shoulder gently.

"I used my last Max Revives on your Pokemon," he murmured. "Like I said, there's no glory in beating a weakened opponent."

Despite Ghetsis being right in front of her, Touko leaned down and pressed her lips against N's cheek gently, drawing a full-fledged blush from the confused teen. "Thank you," she told him fervently, now ready to battle Ghetsis to the end.

"How touching," he sneered as Touko clambered up, her frame shaking slightly. Exhausted though she was, she wasn't going to let Ghetsis win. "Let me see you fall into the pits of despair."

Touko did all she could, but despite the Max Revives, her Pokemon were still worn-out from their battle with N. Her Samurott bravely took on the Sage's Cofagrigus, but eventually succumbed to Toxic as the Ghost-type fell from a well-placed Hydro Pump. His Eelektross unexpectedly brought down both her Unfeazant and Mienshao, until her Zebstrika finally squashed it out with Stomp. Seismitoad was next, but Touko was prepared this time. Her Lilligant easily put it to sleep with Sleep Powder, but was only able to get one Quiver Dance in before it woke up. Seismitoad was able to use Sludge Wave, but was downed by a hurried Giga Drain. Ghetsis had enough of the shenanigans.

"Hydreigon," he chose his favorite with relish, and Touko's heart sank. "Fire Blast."

The two words alone sent a chill down her spine, and though she cried, "Dodge it!" her Grass-type shriveled before the dragon's raw power. Shaking, Touko sent out her Zebstrika once more, knowing that he could not hope to compete with Hydreigon's speed. As expected, he fell, and Touko had only one left.

"Zekrom," she whispered, and the legendary erupted out of his ball with a roar, his electric-blue eyes glaring straight at Ghetsis.

"Hydreigon," Ghetsis ordered, sounding nearly bored, "Finish this with Dragon Pulse."

"Zekrom, use Dragon Claw!" Touko cried, although the despair within her forced her words to come out weak and cracked with desperation.

Zekrom took the force of the Dragon Pulse straight in the chest, a pained howl erupting from him. His eyes clenched tightly against the pain, but suddenly, they flew open, and Zekrom followed through with his own attack, causing Ghetsis to hiss, "What?" as the unsuspecting Hydreigon let out a surprised roar of its own.

Touko watched, hoping for a miracle, as Zekrom stood. The silence of that moment seemed to stretch on forever, but slowly, Zekrom's knees buckled and he crashed heavily onto the floor along with Touko's hopes. "No," she whispered, "What happened?"

Hydreigon was still flying in the air, but across his chest was the faintest impression of claws. Zekrom had missed.

"No," Touko said again, tears starting to fill her eyes as she stumbled over to Zekrom. "Get up, I know you can do this! I know! Zekrom!" She wept openly over the legendary's still form, her hands clenched in tight fists as Ghetsis smirked and recalled his Pokemon.

"You understand what this means," Ghetsis said smugly, relishing her pain. "All Pokemon in Unova must be released. Including yours."

"Touko..." N's voice broke into the pain-filled haze that engulfed her mind. "Please. It's for the best-"

"You can't possibly believe that!" she screamed at him, suddenly looking deranged. "Don't tell me you can't see the love we have for each other! Don't say that y-you can't see what this will do..." Her eyes filled anew with tears, and she clenched her teeth to prevent the wetness from falling.

* * *

_Present_

* * *

Ghetsis' words hit N straight in the heart. Over the past few months, N had truly grown to care for Touko. Especially since the night in Nimbasa City, when they'd been in the Ferris wheel. He drowned himself in that memory, wishing he could be there again.

_"You're WHAT?" Touko's incredulous face swayed in front of him. He smiled gently at her, though nervousness ran through his entire body._

_"So you're saying that we're hurting them?" the sarcasm in the voice couldn't be more apparent. "Try telling that to my Dewott."_

_"I don't expect you to understand completely," N intoned, "But you cannot be completely blind to the injustices Pokemon face every day. They're being abused, used as toys for humans. It's so wrong. I know you and your Pokemon aren't really like that. But do you think they like getting hurt in battles?" He shook his head. "Maybe if everyone were like you, Touko, I wouldn't feel this way. But humans are blind to the suffering of their Pokemon." He looked straight at her, his earnestness filling his entire being. "Please, Touko, I'm just trying to help Pokemon." _

_It was the complete belief that threw her off. She stared into his shining eyes, eyes that held such a fervent confidence in his words. And then she couldn't help it. She leaned in, and N could feel her warm breath over his lips, and suddenly they were kiss-_

"N!" Ghetsis barked, snapping him out of his reverie, as his father's icy gaze seemed to stare right through him. "I expect you to make a speech tomorrow announcing yourself as the rightful King of Unova. Starting tomorrow, Unova is mine." And he laughed, a deep, throaty laugh filled with reckless ambition and zero compassion.

"And trust me, I'll be paying very close attention to the girl," Ghetsis gave as a last warning before he strode out of the ruined throne room and left N and Touko alone, each to ponder what the seemingly-bleak future held.


	2. Chapter 2

So for updates, I'll try to get one in at least every few days. I am busy with school, after all, but there's no way I'm ditching this story! I'm sorry if things are rather boring at the moment; I promise they'll pick up very soon.

~Moon Jackal

* * *

Touko's eyes blinked open slowly as she relished the warmth of the bed in which she lay. It took her a moment to fully waken as she stretched her arms and legs, still feeling groggy. Sunlight filtered in from the window beside her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so blissfully content. It wasn't until she saw N that yesterday's events fully hit her.

She sat bolt upright, fear coming over her as she glanced at her surroundings. N was sitting in a chair next to the window, and his expression was not of one who had just achieved his dream. His eyes were staring at nothing, glazed over as if he was stuck in the worst nightmare he could dream of. Touko was in a rather small room; the bed filled up nearly half of it. The only other furniture besides the chair was a dresser opposite the bed.

Touko's thoughts immediately fell to the people of Unova, and Bianca's and Cheren's faces swam into her mind. Suddenly, shame rose in a great swell throughout her body, and she dropped her gaze back to the clean, white sheets. She didn't deserve such a comfortable bed after failing the entire region. In fact, why wasn't she in the dungeons, anyway? She'd directly combated Team Plasma.

The brunette glanced to the side at N again, but he hadn't moved at all. "N?" she tentatively reached out to the teen, touching him on the shoulder. He jumped at her touch, and slowly lifted his head to stare at her.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered brokenly. "If only I could - If Ghetsis - If I-"

"N... what are you talking about?" Touko bit her lip, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"We had to release your Pokemon," he said to her. "I did it, because I-"

He stopped, frightened at the sudden lividness that appeared on her face. "You WHAT?" she tried to scream, although her voice cracked. She tried to imagine her friends, all gone, living on their own in the wild. Never again to play with her, to beg for Poffins, to battle by her side and relish in their victories. Never to explore previously undiscovered places, to catch new Pokemon, to share every moment, glorious and agonizing with her. They were gone.

All gone.

She saw N's mouth moving, but couldn't take in anything he said. Her entire body was shaking with rage, despair, and something else she couldn't name. As she looked at him, she suddenly found him deplorable. He was the reason. Him, with all of his speeches and innocence and love for Pokemon - because of that "love," her own bonds with her own Pokemon were gone.

"You..." she screeched, even as N backed away from her, now looking alarmed. He had never seen anyone act as Touko was now. "It's YOU!" She hadn't even realized that she'd pounced on him until with a bang, the door flew open, revealing Anthea and Concordia.

"Your Majesty!" Anthea cried, seeing Touko practically strangling him.

"Unhand him, you animal!" Concordia rushed over to Touko, yanking roughly on her shoulders. When she paid Concordia as much heed as a fly, the goddess steeled herself and slapped Touko, the sound ringing through the air. It seemed to work as Touko slowly regained sanity in her eyes, and looked down to see N gasping for breath.

Suddenly looking horrified, she clambered off him and rushing into the bed. Touko brought her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, burying her face in her arms and starting to cry in earnest. Anthea shot her a look of deepest disgust as she helped N up, whose wide eyes were also fixed upon the broken girl.

"My Lord," Concordia addressed him brusquely, "Sage Ghetsis requests your presence in a meeting with the other sages immediately."

N nodded, dazed, and with a last worried look at Touko, he left the room, leaving her with the two goddesses.

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" Anthea hissed furiously as soon as N had left. She turned on the crying teen, crossing her arms. "You are extremely lucky that you have our Lord's favor, because he saved you from going to the dungeons. And you thank him by trying to kill him? Really, we should report this and have you immediately-"

"Anthea," Concordia sighed. "Let me handle this."

"I can't believe that you're allowing yourself to overlook her hurting Lord N," Anthea snarled.

"I'm not," Concordia said bluntly, and a flash in her eyes confirmed that she wouldn't forgive Touko any time soon.

"Fine, then," Anthea backed off, realizing the latent rage within her counterpart. "I'll wait outside." She left the room quickly with a slam of the door.

Touko's tears didn't seem to want to stop flowing. Every time she tried to imagine them gone, all she could think about was all the time that they'd spent together. Especially her Samurott. The memories of playing around at the beach when she was 6 and he was an Oshawott dominated her mind.

_"Osha!" Oshawott exclaimed with pleasure, wading into the water. "Oshhaaaa!" he shrieked, as it was colder than expected. _

_Touko laughed with glee as she braved the ocean as well, her mother fondly keeping an eye on her in the distance. "It's not that bad, Oshawott!" she smiled at the Pokemon._

_"Osh..." he glanced apprehensively at the water before deciding to plunge straight in. "Oshaaa!" the Pokemon flailed around as he tried to get used to the temperature._

_"Oh Oshawott," Touko sighed. "I'll never let you go."_

Another sob wracked her body as Concordia sat down at the edge of the bed. "You know, Master N probably wanted to tell you this himself," she started slowly.

"Then let him!" Touko spat, not bothering to keep her temper in check as grief consumed her further. "Going on about "King N," "Master," whatever - I don't give a fuck! I'm not going to listen to what he has to say. I-"

Concordia's face darkened as Touko spewed forth more insults about N. She'd wanted to solve this an easier way, but for the second time, she raised her hand and backhanded the teen. "I will no longer forgive your impudence regarding Lord N," she told the stunned girl calmly. "If you would listen for once, rather than pitying yourself, you would understand just how lucky you are."

Touko raised her head, her blotchy red face bearing an inscrutable expression. Finally, she nodded, and Concordia gave an inner sigh of relief.

"As you know, everyone was forced to release his or her Pokemon, with the exception of those in Team Plasma. As a result, we are able to ensure domestic tranquility." Here, Touko gave a snort, but fell silent at the reprimanding glare from the goddess. "Lord N, king of Unova though he may be, does not pull the strings. As you may know, Ghetsis is the ultimate naysayer in our system. He ordered you to be put immediately in the dungeons to await trial regarding your opposition to Team Plasma. This is where Lord N comes in."

Concordia paused, staring Touko straight in the eyes. "He threatened his father by saying he would no longer act as the king of Unova if you were executed."

Touko froze, pondering this decision to go against Ghetsis. "Wait..." she said slowly. "Didn't Ghetsis call N a twisted and depraved boy? Why is N still following his orders? Shouldn't he get rid of Ghet-?"

"Shh!" Concordia furiously shushed her. "You really would get thrown into prison if anyone else heard you saying such things! I wouldn't expect you to understand. Sage Ghetsis found N as an orphan and raised him. Such bonds cannot be so easily destroyed..." The goddess' face twisted into one of disgust and rage as she finished her sentence: "No matter the manner in which N was treated."

"Sounds like you don't understand, either," Touko said dryly. As she opened her mouth to say more, Anthea strode back into the room, still fuming at Touko's earlier treatment of N.

"I think that's quite enough time for our little princess to calm down," the other goddess said with a venomous snarl while saying 'princess'. "The meeting will be over soon, and the _girl_ needs to be freshened up appropriately enough to be in the presence of our Lord."

Concordia nodded, and looked back at Touko. "I'll lead you to the showers."

"Oh yeah, where are we, anyway?" the former trainer asked, realizing she had no clue on her whereabouts.

"Team Plasma's castle, naturally," Anthea scoffed. "And should you try to escape, you will be met with severe punishment." As the trio left the room, Anthea leaned in close to Touko's ear and hissed, "Lord N cannot favor you forever."

She rolled her eyes and ignored the butt-hurt goddess, simply looking forward to a shower before she plotted on how to get out. Anthea's words only motivated her to rebel, and as she was in her teen years, it was something she excelled at.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you everyone for continuing to read! And thank you to my lone reviewer, you motivate me more to keep on writing. With that said, this chapter makes me have mixed feelings. I think you'll understand when you read it. All I'm gonna say is that I fucking hate Ghetsis with my entire being.

~Moon Jackal

* * *

As Concordia led Touko down the hallway to the showers, the teen noticed a plethora of Plasma Grunts lining the hallways. They were mostly clustered near the polished wooden doors that led to other rooms, drawing Touko's curious gaze. However, the looks she received in response were ones of disdain, hatred, and even envy. She glanced next to her at Concordia, who had been watching her carefully.

"Not all members of Team Plasma are... accepting their Lord's decision to keep you here, especially in the Sages' hallway," she whispered. "Master N is our king, however," she continued with an increasingly intense voice, "And they should learn their place."

Though Touko understood that it was the goddess' love for N that made her speak that way, it was oddly touching to hear how protective she was. As the two reached the end of the hallway, there were two flights of stairs that led to the next upper and lower floors. "Down," Concordia ordered, and they descended to the next level.

Here, though the construction of the hall was the same, there seemed to be an atmosphere of informality and a lawless lifestyle. All the metallic sliding doors were open, revealing rather messy rooms with two bunk beds on either side. There were Grunts meandering about, whether lounging around in groups or simply dozing off in their beds. Once more, every eye seemed to find Touko as the pair stepped through the hallway, the same judgmental expression on each face.

"The communal showers are in here," Concordia said smoothly, ignoring a pair of female Grunts that had hurried away from the showers as they saw who was with the goddess. "You will be given clothes according to what Lord N sees fit for you to wear. You have a maximum of ten minutes to shower. Longer than that, and I will send someone to drag you out by force. Are we clear?"

"Oh, yes," Touko replied in a falsely sweet voice. "Very clear." She had just begun to get a sense of respect for Concordia, and now...

"Very well. I will remain outside and put your change of clothes just inside the doorway as soon as they get here," she answered back rather coldly, noting the teen's rebellious glare.

Touko walked into the tiled area. The showers were fairly large, with a central walkway with individual stalls separated by a wall on each side. However, there was no curtain to cover the entrances. The teen shook her head, and quickly undressed, leaving her clothes in a pile outside the first stall on the left. She stepped in and turned on the tap.

Cold water burst over her head, making her flinch, but she still relished the feeling of the spray on her skin. She closed her eyes as the water began to warm, and lost herself in memories of her childhood, when she wasn't worried about Team Plasma and wasn't struggling to work out her feelings for N. Since that day in the Ferris wheel, Touko couldn't settle her the clamor in her heart. Even when she was forced to battle against him, she could sense the hardened resolve within him and struggled to match it with her own.

It wasn't that she thought "liberation" was the right choice, but her emotions were getting the best of her... perhaps that's why she'd lost to Ghetsis in the first place. As she delved deeper and deeper into these thoughts, she didn't notice the raised voices outside at first.

It wasn't until N burst into the room that she snapped out of her reverie and shrieked, trying to cover her naked body. "My lord!" Concordia was yanking on his arm insistently, looking extremely flustered.

"I had to see you, Touko," N explained nonchalantly, very unperturbed by her lack of clothes.

"G-GET OUT!" she yelled, a burning blush appearing on her face as she wrapped her arms around her chest and squeezed her legs together.

"What?" N asked, confused. "What's wrong?"

"Lord N!" Concordia finally abandoned her attempt to pull him out and instead stood in front of the stall, body-blocking any potential view of Touko. "It is most inappropriate to glance upon a woman's unclothed body! Please leave immediately!"

"But..." N's expression was hopelessly lost as he raised his arms, which were clutching a set of clean clothes. "I wanted to give her these myself." He tried peeking around the goddess, hoping to see Touko's face. "I hope you'll like these," he smiled with boyish glee.

"Just... leave!" Touko stammered. "Please!" she added as his face fell into disappointment. "I need some privacy!"

N sighed and nodded, dejectedly handing off the clothes to Concordia before turning away. "I'll be waiting upstairs," he murmured as he left.

There was a moment of pained silence between the two females before Concordia started laughing. "That wasn't funny!" Touko insisted, but the goddess wouldn't stop. Scowling, Touko turned off the tap and stood there with her hands on her hips. "Can I get dressed, or what?"

Concordia nodded, breathlessly wiping a tear of mirth from her eyes. Still extremely unamused, Touko quickly dried herself off and wrapped her body in the towel. "Lemme see what he chose," the teen mumbled apprehensively.

Concordia turned around, the huge grin on her face sending her over the edge. "What the hell did you even teach him?" she snapped angrily, grabbing the clothes from the goddess' arms.

"We taught him everything he would need to know to be king," she answered simply, finally deciding to calm down.

"Does he even know what puberty is?" Touko said dryly.

"He understands that certain changes have taken place in his body," Concordia said carefully.

"Basically, no," the teen groaned. She tried to take her mind off that fact by examining the clothes N had chosen for her; they weren't as bad as she thought they might have been. A simple matching pair of white bra and underwear, and a sky blue sundress that reached just above her knees. She could deal with that.

As soon as she put the clothes on, Concordia yanked her out of the showers. "I expect you two have a lot to talk about," she smirked.

"And I bet the Grunts are wondering why their King went into the women's showers," Touko shot back with a devious grin of her own.

She left her floundering for a response and went into her room, shutting the door in the goddess' face with a small chuckle. "What's so funny?" N's curious voice called to her. Touko took a few seconds to compose herself before turning around.

His grey-blue eyes were staring at her earnestly, a small smile playing on his lips as he lounged on her bed. For a reason she didn't know, her cheeks began to redden, and she made her way slowly to where he was sitting. "Do you like the dress?" he queried, watching her face carefully.

Touko nodded without responding verbally, much to N's confusion. "Is... something wrong?" he asked tentatively.

The teen gave a deep sigh before saying, "N, what do you know about the world?"

He blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"During the last battle... Ghetsis said you know nothing but Pokemon. What did he mean by that?" She sat down next to him, looking up at him into his eyes.

"Well," N stammered, taken aback by her sudden abruptness. "Ghetsis found me as an orphan. I lived in the woods with the Pokemon there, like Zorua and Darmanitan. But Ghetsis called himself my father, and since I was so young and hadn't had human contact, I wasn't in any position to disobey him. He raised me in this castle, and had Anthea and Concordia teach me, as well as the other Sages. And he taught me the truth... he would bring in injured Pokemon." Here, his mouth turned down in a scowl, and a true expression of disgust appeared on his face. "Pokemon that had been abused, abandoned, and left to die. He showed me what humans had done, and I could hear their cries for help. He told me he was making a huge family for me, called Team Plasma. And we would work to end the suffering of Pokemon, and make Unova a place for humans and Pokemon to live together without the innocent creatures suffering." N glanced down at Touko. "As for what Anthea and Concordia taught me, they said to follow my heart and work for the truths of Team Plasma."

"But what about... humans?" Touko wondered out loud. "Didn't they teach you anything about your own species?"

"I was taught how to make speeches," N said, rather confused. "How to respond to questions and how to act around other people. Is that what you mean?"

"No," Touko sighed. "I understand now. And by the way Ghetsis was treating you earlier, did he do the same thing when you were little?"

N opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He seemed to be struggling to get himself to speak, but even as he did, droplets of water appeared in his eyes and he turned away. "I-" he tried to start.

"N-Never mind," the girl mumbled. "If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to-"

"I need to," N said fiercely, gritting his teeth. "I don't know what he did specifically. I don't know what it's called. But he would come into my room when it was late at night, and he would tell me to be a good boy. I just wanted to make him proud of me." N's voice started shaking as he turned his face away from Touko, tears starting to drip down his cheeks.

"But what he did hurt me. He would... put part of him in me, and tell me not to say anything because we shouldn't wake up the people around us. And I would try, I really would, but when I couldn't take it anymore he would push my head into the ground and stuff something in my mouth. He said I was useless, and that I should be grateful for what he was giving me, because he saved me."

"And when it was finally over, it hurt so much I couldn't sleep. But I was expected to keep studying the next day, and so I did. I kept wondering if this was the pain that Pokemon went through. And I didn't want any one of them to feel the same way I did," he finished, his shoulders shaking with the force of his agony.

"N," Touko gasped, horrified beyond belief. Now she understood the disdain on Concordia's face, because the goddess had no power to stop Ghetsis. The teen wrapped an arm around N's back, pulling him closer to her. He sobbed brokenly into the crook of her neck as she patted him gently, wondering how she could ever hate him if his father pushed everything he did onto him.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the delay, I'm getting behind on schoolwork because procrastination is my life. Anyway, this chapter... I really hated writing it because of the things I did to N and Touko ;~; THANK YOU MY LOVELY REVIEWERS, BY THE WAY. I love you guys.

~Moon Jackal

* * *

Neither of them was really sure how long N had stayed by Touko's side, but eventually, both of them fell asleep beside each other, curled up and splayed across the bed. The sheets had been roughly kicked aside, with the two teens' faces dipped close to each other and N's arm somehow draped over Touko's midriff to fall lazily on her back. Their faces were the epitome of content, each chest slowly rising and falling until-

BAM.

Ghetsis barged in the door, face black with fury. "WAKE UP!" he roared, his gaze falling upon the serene scene. If possible, he grew even redder, raging to the point of being unable to speak.

Touko and N flinched at the intrusion, both blinking to adjust to the sunlight. "Wh-What's happening?" Touko yawned, still not aware that Ghetsis was in the room with them.

N gave a lazy stretch, his mind also befuddled with sleep. "Good morning," he sang with a dazed grin, climbing off the bed.

Ghetsis stood there rigidly until the two teens finally noticed him. Upon recognizing who was there with them, they froze, the atmosphere chilling quicker than a Glaceon could cast Blizzard. "Well then, now that I have your attention," he snarled. "It's occurred to both me and the other Sages that N's performance as King has fallen to below what you might call our standards for him. We have also agreed that the cause is _you._" He turned to Touko, whose face paled in response to his words. "Therefore, there will be remedial actions taken against you to ensure you are benefitting Team Plasma by being held here. After all," he continued with a ghastly smirk at Touko, "It is not leisurely that Team Plasma holds you here and takes care of your needs."

"I'm not the one who wants to be here," Touko answered defiantly. "Don't want to spend money? Fine, let me go. I couldn't be happier." She ignored the hurt look on N's face, the fear within her broiling over to anger. "And what is this "remedial action," anyway? Turning me into some kind of mascot?"

"That will be a private discussion to be held at a later date," Ghetsis said with a dreadful leer. "And N," his voice changed from threatening to sickly sweet, "Should you fall further behind in your duties, Touko here will pay the price. Understood?"

"Wait," N protested, only just now understanding. "Don't hurt Touko! It's not her fault! What are you trying to do to her anyway?"

Ghetsis stepped forward and loomed over his adopted soon, his expression terrifying. "How dare you question the orders of your father," he whispered. "Perhaps I should punish you as I did when you were younger. It seems I have grown soft, as well."

N flinched at the thinly veiled threat, seeming to shrink at the power of Ghetsis' authority. He stood completely still for a few moments, mulling over his options. Though N's face had also grown redder, he finally blurted out, "I won't let you push us around anymore, Father! You can't do what you want to Touko!"

Ghetsis gazed stonily into his son's face. N was gritting his teeth, forcing himself to stare straight into his father's eyes. Suddenly, he gripped both of N's shoulders and kneed him in the crotch, a pained cry splitting the air as the teen fell to the ground.

"Hey!" Touko shouted, clambering over the bed to try and stop Ghetsis. Without warning, three pairs of hands were grabbing her by the legs and arms, and she craned her neck to see the Shadow Triad holding her back. "No!" she gasped.

The Sage was glaring down at N's prone body, and gave it a vicious kick, drawing forth another agonized shout. "After all I did for you," he growled. "After everything I taught you, you still refuse to heed my words. Bad boys need to be punished."

Touko struggled against the strength of Ghetsis' lapdogs, but their vice-like grips refused to budge. "Let me go!" she snarled, thrashing uselessly, trying to throw just one of them off.

"Ah, yes, and you," Ghetsis turned towards her. "Take her for her first remedial session. She, too, needs to learn manners." With a dark chuckle, he returned his focus to his son and bent down next to his tear-streaked face. "Why don't you be good for your father?" he whispered, stroking N's cheek with the back of his hand.

"D-Don't," the teen pleaded, knowing what was coming. "Please."

"N!" Touko yelled, still trying to rush over to him. He looked utterly defeated, his terrified face now streaked with tears once more. The Shadow Triad forcibly yanked her from the room, and just before the door closed, the trainer saw Ghetsis start to shrug off his robe.

"N..." Touko finally fell limp in the grasps of her restrainers. She raised her head to glare at each of them in turn, only to be met with six apathetic eyes. "How can you sit by and watch him rape his own son?" she hissed. "Have you no humanity?"

"Our Lord is above what our own opinions are," one of them answered her softly. "And as our Master orders, we shall train you to properly respect him."

"You'll get nothing from me, you bastards," she spat.

They didn't deign to respond; instead, they dragged Touko down multiple flights of stairs until the air got colder and damper with each passing second. She knew they were now underground, but as to how deep they were, she couldn't tell. Finally, the group reached the last steps. There was only a single corridor in front of them: it stretched further than she could see, with only dim bulbs on the sides of the multiple doorways to give any sort of light to the otherwise shadowed hall.

Moss grew on the blank stone walls, and as the Triad pushed her further along, she could see that doors were made of unbreakable steel, even as old and worn as they were. Small bones were littered here and there, and a steady dripping noise echoed in the narrow space, though the source was unidentifiable.

No further conversation had been passed since they'd left her room, but the anger within Touko's heart was settling into an uneasy apprehension. The feeling merely increased as the Triad finally led her to their destination. One of them swept a card key in the weathered slot to the side of the door, and with an unnaturally loud beep, it slid open to reveal an expansive room.

Touko gasped at its contents; by no means was it empty, though the center of the room was. Lining its walls were a cornucopia of tools, devices, and machines stacked on shelves that were all built for one purpose: to control their victim and inflict pain. "This..." she gulped, her voice echoing around the room. "This is what you call 'remedial'? Isn't it just torture?"

A different member of the Triad answered, "We have already stated that our lives are devoted to Lord Ghetsis only. What he commands is what we shall do."

Without any delays, they got to work, even as their quarry started struggling once more. One of them dragged Touko to the center of the room and forced her to stay relatively still as another went to a rack and reappeared bearing an armful of chains.

"If you cooperate, this will be less painful than it may have to be," the third member intoned.

"Fuck you," she spat in response as he attached each set of chains to four cuffs, one of each went around her wrists and ankles. The two members yanked the chains through their fixings in the roof and on the ground, so that Touko's body lay in an X shape as she stood.

The last member had been browsing through a stack of different machines until he found the one Ghetsis had specifically ordered him to use. This member, the youngest and most inquisitive, hesitated for a second as he saw the dials on the machine. Giving the smallest shake of his head, he returned to the prone girl and began his work.

"What are you doing-?" Touko tried to snarl, but she was cut off as a hand roughly gripped her chin and forced her neck up as a choke collar went around her neck. It was rough and leathery around her skin, undoubtedly going to leave a mark when it came off (_if_ it came off, Touko thought wryly).

"This lesson will be your first," the youngest member instructed her. "'No talking back' is what you must learn. I will ask you a series of questions, and should you be rude, inappropriate, or otherwise give cheek in any way, you will be punished with an electric shock to your body."

"Oh, that just sounds so exciting," Touko replied sardonically. "Is this what gets you off-?" She bit her lip as a shock coursed through her, her body twitching slightly at the pain.

"That was a warning," he said sarcastically. "I would advise you to learn manners, for our Master's sake as well as yours."

"Well I think you can fuck off-"

She grunted this time as the voltage was raised, and stared insolently at her abuser. "First question," the Shadow said loudly. "Who rules the land of Unova?"

"Obviously N does," Touko sneered. "What kind of shit-"

She barely managed to hold back her cry of pain as more electricity jolted through her.

"I see you're insisting on being difficult," he sighed. "Then perhaps this will motivate you to behave better." He clicked something, and the area to the left of Touko suddenly illuminated. Behind a glass wall that looked so out of place in the dungeon, her Zebstrika was strapped to the ground on his side with several wires running from a small hole in the wall to the device in the Shadow's hand. A machine jutted out from the ceiling, looming threateningly over a blackened part of the Pokemon's skin; it was a long metal pole with a rectangular protuberance on the end of it.

"What?" she whispered, just as another shock ran through her, and she felt every single note of pain in her Zebstrika's voice as the machine pushed down and re-branded Team Plasma's insignia into his fur as he discharged the electricity straight into her body.


	5. Chapter 5

So sorry for the long delay in between chapters! My friend got me SoulSilver on DeSmuMe so I kinda already beat all the gym leaders. Just need to fight Red~ But I fangirl over him too... but not as much as N! Anyway, I should be writing more consistently now, with maybe three to four days in between chapters. Just letting you guys know! Thank you for all your support, and thank you to my lovely reviewers as always.

~Moon Jackal

* * *

Touko's wide eyes gazed at her injured Zebstrika, who was now laying limply on the ground, his sides heaving up and down as he gasped for breath. Weren't all her Pokemon released? How did things end up like this? She much would rather have her Pokemon be wild than used like this. The pain in her body seemed to recede slightly as she focused only on her Zebstrika.

"Please," she breathed. "I'll be good. Just let him go."

"I'm afraid it's not as simple as that," the oldest member of the Shadow Triad answered from her right. "We must ensure that any good behavior is consistent and genuine. Until you truly recognize Lord Ghetsis as your superior, your sessions here will continue."

Her heart sank as she realized what he meant: she would have to act like a submissive good little girl to Ghetsis without even knowing whether or not her Pokemon were being treated correctly. She had no doubt in her mind that the rest of her team were being held somewhere in the castle as well.

"I get it," she said stiffly. "Just... don't hurt him anymore."

"That is not up to you to decide," the middle Shadow said. "However, you can be assured that we will not let him die."

Touko was about to shout, "_Well, that's a big comfort!"_ but stopped herself as her mouth opened, her reply instead coming out as a strangled squeak.

Suddenly, the door to the room banged open, revealing two very pale-faced goddesses. They strode straight into the dungeon, taking in Touko's slumped, strung up body and the Zebstrika that lay exhausted beyond her. "We have orders from Master N," Anthea said stiffly, "That Touko is to now return to her room."

"And we have orders from Lord Ghetsis," the oldest Shadow replied swiftly, "That she will complete all remedial sessions to the fullest."

"I think you've already made your point for today," Concordia said dryly. "Kindly unchain Miss White and we shall escort her to her room. It would not bode you well to keep Team Plasma's King waiting."

The Shadow Triad glanced at each other, and gave the tiniest of nods. The youngest reached forward and unbuckled the shock collar, leaving her neck with an angry red mark. The other two swiftly released her wrists and ankles, not bothering to catch her as she slumped to the ground. All three then seemed to disappear into thin air, leaving the weakened teen in the presence of the goddesses.

Concordia and Anthea scurried to her side, anxiously examining her body. "Is there any way to let him out?" Touko whispered, as the effects of adrenaline wore off and she truly began to feel the aftereffects of her treatment. She couldn't get the sound of her Zebstrika's anguished cried out of her mind.

"Not from here," Anthea muttered. "But it's more important that you see N immediately."

The two women each shrugged one of Touko's arms around their shoulders and hoisted her up, supporting most of her weight as she stumbled forward. They shambled slowly up each flight of steps, with Touko ignoring the sneering glances and smirks of the Grunts in the hallways. It seemed to take forever to reach her room, but when Concordia opened the door and the two finally released their support, Touko immediately hobbled over to the bed and collapsed on it, ready to close her eyes for an eternity.

Instead, a pair of puffy eyes met hers, already swimming with new tears. "N," she stammered, not knowing what to say.

"Touko," he choked out, reaching an arm around her and pulling her tightly to his chest. "I'm so sorry for what they put you through. I can't believe I let this happen. I-"

"N!" she exclaimed, positively dumbfounded. What he had been through was probably the worst thing in his life, and he was worried about her instead? "N, it's okay... I can take it. I just... Did you lie to me?"

The thought just hit her. It had been N who told her he'd released her Pokemon. Was he actually condoning the torture of hers?

"Lie?" he pushed back from her, trying to examine her face through bleary grey-blue eyes. "About what?"

"They had my Zebstrika, N," her voice came out harsher than she intended to. "They used him to torture me."

"What?" he yelped, his face blanching as he noticed the red marks on Touko's neck. "They're hurting your Pokemon to hurt you?" His expression blackened as his eyes narrowed in barely-contained rage. "That's despicable," he spat. "All this time... they had no problem hurting Pokemon themselves?" He was quivering with anger, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were turning white. Touko bit her lip as she watched him, never having seen him so enraged before.

"N," Touko said gently, touching his arm. "Why don't we get some rest first? We can think about what to do later." She glanced out the window - the sun was now shining merrily into the room, suggesting late afternoon.

He seemed to deflate, returning back to the defeated teen. "I'm sorry, Touko," he sighed. "I have a meeting in fifteen minutes. Ghetsis expects me to do the best for Team Plasma." He gave her a wan smile, looking much more worn than he should be. "I won't let them hurt you anymore, even if I have to be," he said softly. "And maybe one day, we can escape from here together."

Touko froze at those words. Escape from the castle? She realized that he was as much of a prisoner as she was; brainwashed and held there as a child, he had every right to want to run away.

"In fact," he continued, "We could actually go now."

"Wait... what?" she blinked. "Now?"

"Reshiram," N commanded quietly. Immediately, a piercing light blue eye appeared in the window, staring into the room. "We could break out right now."

Touko stared at their escape. Could it be that easy? Just hop on the legendary and run away? It was so tempting... to live in peace with N, and not have to worry about what was happening in the world.

"I-I can't," she finally admitted with a shake of her head.

"Why not?" N said, surprised.

"I'm staying here until I can free my Pokemon," she answered firmly, staring straight into N's eyes.

"As expected of you," N teased her gently. He raised his hand, and Reshiram gave a soft cry and flew away from the window. He stared after the dragon for a while, his back to Touko. Finally, he gave another deep sigh and turned back. "We'll talk more once I'm back. In the meanwhile, Anthea and Concordia should take care of you."

He rose up from the bed, wincing with each step as he strode gingerly towards the door. "N," Touko called. He faced her expectantly, but she hesitated for a moment, the words she was about to say seeming too shallow for the moment. "Be careful," she said lamely, but he gave her another small grin and walked out the door.

The moment he left, Anthea and Concordia came into the room with anxious frowns on both their faces. "What is it?" Touko asked them wearily. She really was prepared to take a long nap after her ordeal.

"We've been thinking," Anthea started, "That there must be some way to protect Lord N."

"What do you mean?" the girl replied. "Aren't you the goddesses of Team Plasma? Don't you already give N your absolute protection?"

"We cannot stop Sage Ghetsis from hurting him, ever since he was little," Concordia said sadly. "It stopped for a while, but now..."

"It's my fault, isn't it?" Touko glanced at both of the goddesses' faces. Their stony features confirmed it. She ground her teeth together, mulling over the situation. "You know I can't do anything about it either," she finally replied. "I'm just a prisoner who doesn't show respect, you know? And with my Pokemon held hostage, I won't do anything that might bring harm to them."

"We don't mean rebelling against the Sage," Anthea snorted. "That would be treason against all of Team Plasma. But on a more personal level, the Sage is still a man."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Touko asked suspiciously.

"He has his pride," Concordia explained. "And a good deal of arrogance, as well."

"Hold on there, girl," Touko started smirking. "Sounds like you're insulting your exalted leader."

"Show the proper respect to him," she continued on dignifiedly, "And perhaps our Master wouldn't suffer because of it."

"You're just repeating what the Shadow Triad tried to force me to do," Touko scowled. "And I will do it, for my Pokemon."

"And not for Lord N?" Anthea probed. "We've seen how you two interact, and we understand, among other things, that you care a great deal for each other."

Much to Touko's horror, her face began to redden as she stuttered, "N-No! We're just friends, that's all."

The goddesses shared a knowing look as Touko began to flounder in bed, yelling out denials with increasing desperation. "Nothing ever happened between us! That kiss was just an accident! I only feel sorry for him because of what Ghetsis did to him!"

"You KISSED?" Anthea turned on the teen with such ferocity that she flinched back. "When? How? Where? I demand to know-!"

Concordia put a hand on Anthea's shoulder, interrupting her rapid-fire interrogation. "You called yourself his friend," she intoned. "That is more than what he has ever had. I ask that you continue to care for his well-being, as it may end up more precious to you than you know."

Touko blinked at her somber tone, but then nodded. "Yeah," she added. "I'm not going to let Ghetsis get away with what he's done. Maybe I can't do anything now, but as soon as I get the chance, he's going down."


	6. Chapter 6

Gaaahh, please don't hate me for taking so long. I had a lot to do these past... uh, ten days. BUT AS A BONUS, I'M WRITING TWO CHAPTERS TODAY. And like I said, I'm not giving up on this story, so thank you everyone for your patience!

~Moon Jackal

* * *

There was no way for N to concentrate on the meeting. He simply sat in his seat absentmindedly, his gaze vacant as Ghetsis droned on about something next to him. Only detached phrases floated to his mind, and went straight out without processing: _New era... other regions... Sinnoh..._

N stared down at his hands, which were folded neatly in his lap. His mind wandered to that morning's events, and he shuddered lightly. All he could think of was Touko's face, scrunched with pain, fear, and anger, accusing him of lying and hurting her Pokemon. That pain led him to images of what his father had done to him.

Wasn't that a normal thing? Bad boys needed to be punished; Ghetsis had told him that all the time. But when Touko had realized what had been happening, she'd seemed completely horrified. It didn't make any sense. It wasn't as though N _enjoyed_ it. After all, who would? But the consequences of disobeying your father would naturally be severe. Perhaps not _that_ bad, N amended his thought, but disobedient children only meant trouble for everyone else.

He would have to be careful to be good from then on. N wasn't sure he could protect Touko at the same time he was trying to rule Unova, so his father's word would have to be followed. Although the mere thought of Ghetsis blackmailing Touko with her own Pokemon engulfed the King with fury, he knew his father could easily do the same to him, but using Touko instead. In fact, he already had!

Should N really cave, then? The teen shook his head, and a few quiet gasps rose from the table. He finally looked up to see Ghetsis' face scowling angrily at him. "I-I'm sorry," N stammered. "I'm afraid I didn't quite hear correctly."

"We have a guest from the Sinnoh region," Ghetsis repeated through gritted teeth. "He has asked to meet the Sages, and, of course, the King. Will you see him?"

"Oh," he blinked in response, knowing he would probably be punished for his inattention later. "Yes, of course. Please show him in."

The door to the meeting room opened quietly, and their visitor entered. He was fairly tall, although rather skinny. Cropped black hair popped out from beneath a red beret, and he looked to be around N's age. He wore a dark grey t-shirt above a pair of jeans, and a bright red scarf was wrapped around his neck. He bore a pastel yellow backpack on his shoulders, and most notably, a pair of clear, royal blue eyes shown clearly from beneath his hat. "Hello," he spoke with a strange accent, his voice surprisingly gentle. "My name is Diamond, or Dia for short. It's a pleasantry to meet you all."

N's eyes were drawn to the left side of his belt; six Pokeballs were hanging from it, and his mouth crept down into a frown. Dia noticed immediately, his mouth still smiling. "Sir N, as I am from Sinnoh, I do prefer to keep my Pokemon with me in their Pokeballs," he said. "I'm sorry if this goes against your feelings, but as a visitor, please excuse me."

N nodded shortly, his lips pursed. "So, Dia," he addressed the foreigner. "I would first like to welcome you to Unova. May I ask, however, why you have decided to visit?"

Dia's eyes seemed to stare right into N's heart, and he felt himself tense up. He couldn't let his guard down around this man. "Well, our Champion, Cynthia, has sent me here in order to learn more about your ideals," he answered pleasantly. "In depth, we are interested in investigating how the people on Unova will cope without Pokemon beside them."

The atmosphere in the room steadily got thicker as N and Dia stared each other down. "I see," the King replied lightly, though a spark of irritation popped up in him. "You believe, then, that people are better with Pokemon by their sides."

"Oh, yes," Dia said gravely. "If I did not keep my Pokemon beside me, my friends and I would never have brought down Team Galactic."

This proclamation stunned the entire room, except for Ghetsis, who was, for some strange reason, watching N. The silence seemed to stretch on endlessly, until N cleared his throat. "You are very young to have accomplished such a task," he chose his words carefully. N had been too busy with Team Plasma to listen to news of other regions, but he dimly remembered a news heading about Team Galactic some time ago.

"I could say the same to you," Dia smiled back. "The reason I am here, at your castle, is because Miss Cynthia ordered me to pass a message along to you all. Please do not take it the wrong way. She worries about the well-being of everybody."

"Let's hear it, then," N said warily.

"Ah, I never can remember what she says exactly," the teen muttered, rummaging through his backpack. "Oh, here it is." Dia unraveled a sheet of paper, written in a strange language. "Ahem. To the honored members of Team Plasma, I offer my... condolences... for your works in Unova. I have sent Dia here to... unravel... the feelings of the people there. It is with the greatest respect that I send my... options... that the people belong with their Pokemon. Although this may seem... infectious... coming from another region, I urge you to reconsider your decision and allow your citizens to be... recollected... with their Pokemon. However, should Dia find that your citizens are happy with their... time... I will not further intrude. If there is a significant amount of... feelings... then I will resort to more forceful methods to prevent the... upbringing... of their happiness. Signed, Sinnoh Champion Cynthia."

Another period of blank silence followed the reading, with all eyes on Dia's rather bemused face. "Sorry, translating is hard for me," he murmured. "If only Platina were here..." He blinked a couple of times and then shook his head. "Excuse me," he apologized. "I'm rambling. To make it short, I am going to be surveying the true feelings of Unova's people. If they do not agree with your ideas, Cynthia is going to come here."

"You're threatening us?" Ghetsis said in a deadly calm voice. "Do you really think you can waltz into our region, hand over a threat, and go wherever you'd like?"

"Yes," Dia answered him bluntly. "I do."

"And your Cynthia," the sage continued on. "She's very impertinent, trying to interfere with us. Tell her that you will be returning to Sinnoh immediately, and that she has no right to attempt to take control of a region that is not under her jurisdiction."

"Ah," Dia sighed sadly. "We thought this might happen."

"What?" Ghetsis snarled. "You thought it would be okay, to come in here and tell us that what we're doing is wrong?"

"Well, you see," the Trainer began, "The other regions have had a big talk about your regime. We all gathered and agreed that we would evaluate the state of your citizens before acting. If you choose a violent action, the other four regions will go quickly against you."

N watched as Ghetsis' face slowly turned purple as he thought about what that would look like, with foreign Pokemon and foreign Trainers invading Unova. He himself couldn't imagine it; all out war over their ideals? And those trainers, using their Pokemon as tools to fight a human war. This couldn't happen. What if innocent Pokemon got caught up in the battle? That would be likely. He had to prevent that from happening, whatever the cost.

"Capture him," Ghetsis' order came as a hiss. "GET HIM NOW!"

The sages moved quickly as they each pulled out their Pokemon. Dia was quickly surrounded in the small space, the doorway blocked as well. There was only that one escape, and Dia glanced around him at the hostile faces of the Sages and the guards.

"Surrender quietly, and we won't do you any harm," Ghetsis smirked.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," the teen replied. Amazingly, he blinked calmly and sighed. "If you let me go now, you can still let me do the questions," he suggested. "Otherwise, Miss Cynthia will get this report."

"Get him," Ghetsis snarled at the Sages. "Don't let him escape!"

The numerous Pokemon closed in on Dia, pouncing and throwing themselves on the frail body. N gasped; surely this was overkill. Suddenly, a loud roar filled the room, and the Pokemon were blasted back, hitting the walls and careening off their owners. A huge Pokemon that N had never seen took up over half of the room.

_Carracosta?_ N thought at first. But no, this green one was much, much bigger, with a squat head and enormous body, and even a tree sticking out of its back. "Good job, Wig!" Dia grinned at his starter. "Let's get out of here. Miss Cynthia's not gonna be too happy." He jumped on top of the Torterra's neck, and the thing turned around slowly, each step sending tremors through the walls.

"Stop!" Ghetsis cried out, readying his own Pokemon. "Go, Hydreigon!" His strongest flew from his ball with an ear-splitting snarl. "Fire Blast!"

"Go, Don!" Dia countered, his Bastiodon flying from his ball and catching the fire attack with his enormous head. The Rock/Steel type blocked the destroyed doorway with his body as Wig and Dia fled through the hall.

"N, you useless idiot!" Ghetsis whirled on his adopted son. "Stop them! Get Reshiram!"

"But I-" he stammered.

"NOW!" his father roared, and N jumped in his seat. He watched Dia withdraw his Bastiodon and his Torterra, instead pulling out his Mamoswine.

"Moo, let's get out of here!" Dia cried as the huge Pokemon bashed through the walls as if they were made out of sand.

"Reshiram, answer me!" N called into the air, now chasing after the foreigner. The King heard the dragon's answer from a distance, and forced himself to speed up. Dia had already descended into the Sage's living quarters. His eyes widened with fear as he realized what that meant: The Trainer was going to bash straight through Touko's room.


	7. Chapter 7

Here we are, as promised! Enjoy, everyone~

~Moon Jackal

* * *

"What is that...?" Touko muttered as her room started shaking. "That can't be right." She glanced upwards; the source of the shaking seemed to be coming from there. The girl clambered off the bed and made her way to the door, despite the aching pain shooting through her body from that morning's treatment. She gripped the knob and turned it, but as expected, it was locked.

Touko scowled, her fingers clenching tightly over the doorknob. She glanced to her left; the rumbling seemed to be getting more intense. The ceiling shook wildly, flakes of paint starting to fall into her hair. _This isn't good,_ she thought grimly, now trying to bust the door open with her shoulder. She merely careened off of it and fell to the floor, her teeth clenched together.

"Hello!" she called. "Is anyone out there? Let me out!" She waited for a few moments, straining to hear a response. Instead, the quaking got even wilder, and Touko seemed to know what was going to happen before it did.

The left wall burst open in a flurry of plaster, the force of the impact sending Touko flying, her mouth open in a scream she couldn't hear. She caught a glimpse of a blue-eyed boy riding atop a huge Pokemon before her head slammed into the wood behind her and darkness descended over her mind.

* * *

Dia clutched Moo's fur tightly, struggling to remain atop the bulky Mamoswine. They flew through wall after wall, the thin plaster caving quickly against Moo's charges. What he didn't expect was to find anyone else in the floor below him; he'd gotten information that it was the Sages' residential halls, and since all of them were in the meeting, how could he have known of the existence of Touko?

When Moo demolished the wall to Touko's room, Dia's head jerked to the side as he registered the teen's cry of fear. He saw her body fly backwards into the door, her head flying back and audibly thumping against it. He watched as she slid to the floor, her body limp, leaving a trail of blood against the polished wood.

That's when Moo came across the first wall he couldn't break through.

He smashed through the bed with ease, but instead of crashing through to the next room, he was met by solid stone, letting out a roar of pain as he bounced off the wall. Dia flew backwards from the impact, crashing to the ground and rolling over the ruined plaster bits. He groaned for a moment before picking himself up, his eyes finding the unconscious girl.

"What's she doing here?" he murmured, inspecting her face carefully. He pressed two fingers against her neck, relieved to find a pulse. "Come back, Moo." He withdrew the injured Mamoswine and got out his fourth ball. "Come, Tung!" The Lickilicky appeared beside his trainer in a burst of red light.

"Tung, I need you to carry us," Dia ordered. "We've got to go down the stairs and get out of here, fast." The pink Pokemon nodded confidently, scooping the two of them into his arms.

Tung was just about to leave when a burst of flame melted the entire back wall of the room, revealing Reshiram with a furious N on his neck. "Give her back to me!" N snarled, his face contorted with rage. Reshiram gave a bellow to accent his hero's smoldering fury, the rolling emotions giving fuel to the dragon's connection with N.

"Go now, Tung!" Dia panted, knowing a legendary when he saw one.

"Don't let him escape, Reshiram!" N bellowed. The dragon began to gather flaming energy in his mouth, the fire twisting and snaking out from the condensing sphere of flames. Reshiram hurled the Fusion Flare straight at Dia and Tung, and it wasn't until then that N realized he might hit Touko.

"Rotom!" Dia cried, "Use Hydro Pump!"

Dia had made Rotom possess the washing machine especially for this moment. Though he normally would have used his Mamoswine, the Pokemon was still too injured for the moment. Rotom let forth a huge burst of water, and as the two attacks collided, they dissipated into heated vapor. Dia felt the sweat running from his forehead as Tung finally broke into the hallway amidst the rubble.

"Go," Dia urged the Lickilicky, keeping one worried eye on Touko. Luckily, it seemed as though she wouldn't be waking up any time soon. Tung rushed through the hallway, heading towards the steps, when suddenly, Ghetsis and Hydreigon blocked his way.

"This is as far as you go," the Sage was seething, thinking of all the repair costs. "I'll admit you've done well to infiltrate us this far. But you will pay for what you've done, now. Hand over the girl and withdraw your Pokemon, and no one needs to get hurt."

Dia's expression finally changed into a slight frown, his eyebrows scrunched together and his fists clenching. Finally, he let out a deep sigh and lowered himself from his Lickilicky's grasp before gently taking Touko as well. Tung stared at him wide-eyed, but he shook his head and sent Tung back into his ball.

"Good boy," Ghetsis said with the same sickly sweet voice he used with N. "Hydreigon, go secure them." The Sage waited for a few moments before realizing that his Pokemon wasn't obeying. "Hydreigon, now!" He turned on the dragon and slapped him on the middle head.

Hydreigon was too busy smelling the scents in the air, and it wasn't until Ghetsis' blow that he snapped back into reality. He let out a threatening growl, which stopped abruptly as Dia smiled gently at him, although the look in the Trainer's eyes had hardened as he noticed Ghetsis' treatment.

"Go on, boy," Dia held out his hand to the vicious dragon, palm up. A medium-sized, navy blue Poffin was there, and all three of the Hydreigon's mouths watered at the sight. Never before had he experienced something like this.

Just as he was about to have his first bite, Ghetsis sent a fist flying into the Dark/Dragon type's midriff, knocking him out of the air and sending him sprawling on the tiled floor. "You useless, worthless beast!" Ghetsis roared, enraged. "No food for three days! Haven't I trained you better than that? You're disgusting!"

The dragon glared back up at his owner with pure loathing in his eyes, even as Ghetsis returned him to his ball. "Father?" N's voice rang out, suddenly tentatively accusing. "You... abuse your Pokemon?"

Dia quietly stepped backwards out of the way, giving the King and his father a clear view of each other. He dragged Touko with him, draping one of her arms over his shoulder as her heels dragged on the floor.

"What's the matter, boy?" Ghetsis snapped. "I can treat my Pokemon however I want to."

"But we were working against people like that," N said hesitantly. "You-those Pokemon you showed me, did you do all of that?"

"Of course not," Ghetsis scoffed, and for a second, N looked relieved. "I wouldn't waste my time on such weak things. I found others who would do it for me, and it really wasn't hard." He let out a ghastly laugh, mirthless and cold, as N's face fell.

"You really are... the worst," he said quietly. "Every single day, I do my best for you. I'm tired of it. I won't let you do any more harm to your Pokemon, or to the people here."

"Oh, you are, are you?" Ghetsis sneered. "So tell me, _boy_, what are you going to do about it?" The Sage walked forward until he towered over N, who suddenly felt his body shivering in response to the dreadful aura emanated by him.

"S-Stop," N shook his head, although the trembling got worse and worse as Ghetsis grinned down at him. "Archeops, use Acrobatics!" he cried, drawing a ball quickly.

"Bisharp, Metal Burst," Ghetsis returned with split-second speed. The revived bird's claws scraped uselessly against Bisharp's exterior, a horrible screeching noise resonating throughout the hall. Bisharp returned the damage with the Steel type move, hitting Archeops straight in the chest.

"No!" N rushed to his defeated Pokemon.

"That's really all you have?" Ghetsis smirked. "Don't joke with me, boy, I taught you better than that. Come have a fight with your father."

They seemed to have forgotten all about Dia, who found it a good time to leave. However, as he watched N's stricken face, memories of his own doubts and struggles came back to him. Dia hesitated for a few moments before sinking down cross-legged, Touko's head resting in his lap.

"G-Go," N cried out, his Vanilluxe appearing in a burst of red light.

"Ice against Steel?" Ghetsis laughed again. "You truly are hopeless."

"Use Focus Blast!" N commanded.

"What?" Ghetsis' eyes widened as he realized. "Bisharp, dodge!"

It was too late. The Vanilluxe's normally vacant grin was replaced by a triumphant smile as Zoroark brought the full force of his blow onto Bisharp, who was thrown back from the impact and blacked out immediately.

"So you have learned something, at least," the Sage said slowly. "It seems that my teachings weren't entirely wasted, although they may as well be in that empty head of yours."

"Just stop this, Father," N pleaded, his hands still trembling. "I don't want to fight you..."

"You worthless kid," Ghetsis spat, "Your weakness is simply unendurable! The only reason I ever kept you around was so I could use your idiocy for my own plans. I did everything for you. I gave you toys, I had Anthea and Concordia teach you, I fed you, and here is what I have to show for it: an utterly warped, inept, depraved, imbecilic simpleton. Come, N. Today, I will show you once and for all the true meaning of despair."


End file.
